By Will Laidlaw, Pen and Sword, South Yorkshire (2016) Reviewed by Adam Kline Lt. Col. Will Laidlaw, who served as commander of the UK’s 656 attack helicopter squadron during NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya, personally flew night strike missions in from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean. From June to August, his unit’s Apache helicopters fired
By Russel M. Lawson, University Press of New England, Lebanon (2015) Reviewed by Warren Riess, Ph.D. This book has the feel of two different works. One is John Smith in the last two decades of his life. The other is a detailed description of his 1614 voyage to North America. Lawson works the two together,
By Christopher Phillips, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom University of Cincinnati history professor Christopher Phillips wrote a different assessment of the complex cultural and political factors in the Border States before, during, and after the Civil War of 1861-1865. Phillips challenges historical interpretations that paint the Border States
By Jim Stempel, McFarland and Co., Publishers, Jefferson, NC (2011) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Writing years after the Civil War, Gideon Welles remarked of William B. Cushing: “…the great chief of the American Navy, Farragut…said to me that while no navy had braver or better officers than ours, young Cushing was the hero of
By Patrick Beesly, Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, UK (2015) Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb, Ph.D. In June 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Patrick Beesly joined the Royal Navy as a Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) officer, became a Sub-Lieutenant (Special Branch), and was appointed to the Naval Intelligence Division (NID 2) in
By Graham A. Thomas, Skyhorse Publishing, New York, NY (2015) Reviewed by William H. White Henry Morgan was a “pirate” (the author used “pirate,” “buccaneer,” and “privateer” virtually interchangeably) whose rampages in the Caribbean and on the Spanish Main were the stuff of legends. Many authors, both contemporary to Morgan and modern, have written copious
By Col. George R. Hofmann Jr. USMC (Ret.), Marine Corps History Division, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC (2014) Reviewed by Charles Bogart The title of this publication is somewhat misleading, as the author actually covers the period 1954 to 1965 within the pages of this book. It covers both political and military matters of that
By Bruce Ware Allen, ForeEdge: An Imprint of the University Press of New England, NH, (2015) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess On May 18, 1565, a Turkish fleet of 193 ships arrived off the arid, searing hot island of Malta, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean between Africa and Sicily. Its target was the Knights
By John H. Schroeder, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK (2015) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. Like the Korean Conflict, the War of 1812 is often glanced over in many American history survey courses, which is too bad because one of the most significant naval battles in American history occurred near the end of
By Craig L. Symonds, Oxford University Press, New York (2014) Reviewed by Rear Admiral William J. Holland, Jr. USN (Ret.) Professor Symonds has done it again! This splendid book starts with the assertion, “During World War II, a dearth of shipping was the key logistical constraint in Allied decision making and because of it, the
By Larry Loftus, Penquin, New York, NY, (2016) Reviewed by Martin J. Bollinger Lawyer and author Larry Loftis accomplishes three things in his new book Into the Lion’s Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. He does an excellent job in documenting –
By Glenn M. Stein, McFarland, Jefferson, NC (2015) Reviewed by Ingo Heidbrink, Ph.D. Most people who are only slightly familiar with the history of the high-latitudes will know the story of John Franklin’s Lost Expedition searching for the North-West Passage (1845), as well as of Roald Amundsen’s first transit through the passage during his 1903-1906
By James Goldrick, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD (2015) Reviewed by Phillip G. Pattee. Ph.D. James Goldrick, the author of several books and articles on topics of naval and defense interest, including naval history, is a retired Rear Admiral in the Royal Australian Navy. In 1984, as a Lieutenant, Goldrick published his first book, The
By Adam Makos, Ballantine Books, New York, NY (2015) Reviewed by Rear Adm. Arthur N. “Bud” Langston, U.S. Navy (Retired) Devotion is the account of an incredibly selfless heroic attempt by Lt. (JG) Tom Hudner to rescue Ens. Jesse Brown after his Corsair was hit by small arms fire forcing him to make a crash
By George E. Melton, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Alan Harris Bath, Ph.D. On 3 July 1940, at the direction of Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and the British War Cabinet, the Royal Navy bombarded a major portion of the French Fleet then in port at Mers-el Kebir in French North Africa.
